The widespread use and increasing development of the internet has allowed exchanges of information in ways previously not possible. Correspondingly, computer users are sharing information facilitated by technology advances such as digital cameras. For example, a user may upload pictures taken with a digital camera to a photo sharing website in order to share the photos with others.
Typically, users are required to sign up and create an account on the system hosting the shared resource. The sign up process often contains numerous forms or pages which the user must complete and quickly becomes laborious. Further, any errors in data entry can require user correction and lengthen the sign up process.
Other conventional solutions for restricting access to resources have significant disadvantages. One such solution is to provide a unique location (e.g., URL) or temporary account. A user wishing to access the resource is required to have the unique location or temporary account information. When the unique location is contained in an email, the email may be deleted or lost among a large group of emails, resulting in the user being unable to access the resource. Similarly, a temporary account may expire and leave the user with no access to the resource.
Thus, what is needed is a way to provide access to restricted resources without requiring a laborious signup process, unique location, or temporary account.